wagner



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

I. Z. WAGNER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO P. H. WATSON,

. ASSIGNORIO E. S. RENWICH, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE Eon 'MOLDING BRIcKs.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,999, dated August 11, 1857.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, I. Z. A. WAGNER, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick Machines or Presses, whereby they are adapted to the production of tubular bricks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- `Figure l represents a side elevation of a rotary brick machine embracing my improvements, and Fig. 2- a plan of the same.

F or convenience I have represented my improvement in connection with automatic rotary brick molds; but it is equally applicable to reciprocat-ing or stationary molds worked by hand or power.

The machine represented in the drawings consists of a strong frame (Z) which supports a cylinder (A), whose periphery is fitted with a series of molds (c) to make bricks of the usual external form. The frame also supports a hopper (D) to supply the molds with clay; and a roller (C) whose periphery runs near that of the mold cylinder, to press the clay into the molds, and to gage it so that the same quantity shall be put into each. As the gage roller (C) runs about three-quarters of an inch from the face of the molds (a), a band of clayof that thickness is left projecting from the molds, which is forced into them by the condensing roller (E), whose periphery runs in contact with the face of the molds The peripheries of the cylinder (A) and gage roller (C) are fitted with cog teeth which gear together and through which the cylinder drives the'gage roller (C), but the condensing roller (E) is driven by friction against the cylinder. The cogs upon the cylinder also gear into a pinion on a driving shaft (B) from which the cylinder and roller are driven.

Each mold a) consists of a box whose sides are the counterparts in position, form and size of the edges of the brick; a core (Gr) is placed within this box equidistant from the sides and is firmly secured to the cylinder (A) at its inner end; this leaves an annular space between the core and the sides of the box, which is fitted with an annular piston that has a positive mot-ion outward that brings it even with the mouth of the mold to discharge the bricks, and has another motion inward that draws it back to form the bot-tom of the mold at a distance from the mouth precisely equal to the thickness of the brick it is required to make.

This arrangement of the core and box will form a brick with a single hole through it;

but if it should be required to make a brick with two or more holes it would only be necessary to set in a corresponding number of cores and fit the piston to t-he space left Eetween the several cores and the sides of the Preparatory to filling the mold with clay the piston is drawn in, the clay is then forced into the space around the cores and wit-hin the sides of the box with force enough to make a brick of the required density, after which the piston is forced out, carrying the brick before it to the mouth of the mold and thus separating it from both the box and the core, without liability to break its corners, as they are amply supported by the face of the piston. The point at which the bricks are thus discharged is after the mold has passed the hopper, and the gage and condensing rollers, and is approaching its lowest position. The inner end of the piston rod is fitted with friction rollers (c) projecting on each end of the cylinder; these rollers pass under fixed inclined guides (d) on the sides of the frame which force the piston and the brick before it out to the face of the mold, whence the brick is det-ached by a reciprocating pusher, which forces it aside slight-ly to loosen it from the piston, when it drops by its own weight upon an endless apron stretched upon rollers (F and F) to carry off the bricks as they drop from the molds. After the bricks have been discharged the mold is carried forward by the cylinder, and when it again nears its uppermost position 'the piston will be retracted by its own weight, and the mold again adjusted to receive and mold a new charge of clay.

From the foregoing it will be seen, that no additional time or labor is consumed in the manufacture of tubular bricks over and above what is necessary for the production of solid ones.

The same arrangement of cores may be used in reciprocating and other brick presses, also in making bricks by hand, when the mold and its core or cores may be claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent s- The combination of the mold box With a core and an annular bottom or piston, the Whole constructed and operating substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 20 subscribed my name.

I. Z. A. WAGNER.

Witnesses:

JAs. B. IMLAY, CHARLES D. FREEMAN 

